Word Origin & History

extrapolation coined 1872 from extra + (inter)polation; original sense was "insert intermediate terms in a mathematical series." Transferred sense of "drawing a conclusion about the future based on present tendencies" is from 1889.

Example Sentences for extrapolation

An extrapolation from the fact that there was vegetation below.

Abolish, now, one of the percipients, and the interpolation changes into ‘extrapolation.’

You claim that you actually guessed where that ship was going to be, but you followed the computer's extrapolation instead?

The last three values are those obtained by extrapolation with platinum-rhodium and platinum-iridium couples.

Abolish, now, one of the percipients, and the interpolation changes into 'extrapolation.'